Two Flintshire grandparents who went through the agony of losing their first grandson said volunteering for the hospice that cared for him before he died has helped them cope with their grief.

Debbie and Doug Parry, from Mold, were heartbroken when little Ewan, seven, passed away two weeks after his birthday.

He had been suffering from a brain tumour, and died two week after his Christmas Eve birthday.

The couple said their family was shattered by the loss of Ewan, described as "the nicest gentleman you could meet" who was mad about Lego.

But it was in 2016, just short of a year after Ysgol Bryn Coch pupil Ewan died, that Debbie found herself walking into the Claire House charity shop in Mold.

Debbie with Ewan and Niamh (Image: Family photo)

She said in her grief she had lost all her confidence, but decided she needed to do something positive in Ewan's memory.

Debbie, 52, said: "When somebody is ill it can be a lonely experience, it doesn’t matter how many people you have around you. You keep yourself to yourself. I found it hard meeting people and socialising.

"But Ewan was such a happy little soul and he’d want us to be happy.

Ewan was just seven when he passed away (Image: Family photo)

"For me, volunteering became a way of socialising and making new friends. Helping Claire House has been a very positive experience for me.

"I basically just wanted to stay in the back and do the sorting but my confidence has grown so much, I now work in the front. I even man the shop when the managers are in meetings."